By Ericka O’Connell, Roosevelt Island Daily
Good morning, neighbors. As we turn the calendar into the new year, the long-discussed MTA fare changes for 2026 are now officially in effect as of January 4. We first covered this back in October, and today’s follow-up is your straightforward breakdown of what is changing, what to watch for, and how it affects everyday travel on and off Roosevelt Island.
Whether you ride the M train daily, hop on a local bus, or use commuter rail to get to work, here are the highlights you will want saved on your phone.
The Big Fare Changes at a Glance
- Subway and local bus fare: Now $3.00 per ride
This is up from $2.90. - Reduced fare: Now $1.50 per ride
For seniors, people with disabilities, and eligible riders. - Express bus fare: Now $7.25 per ride
Reduced express bus fare is now $3.60. - Single ride ticket: Now $3.50
These are the one-time swipe tickets sold in stations. - New OMNY card fee: $2 per card
This replaces the old MetroCard purchase fee.
Weekly Fare Caps Are Now Permanent
This is one of the most important changes for frequent riders.
- Subway and local bus riders
- Weekly cap is now $35
- After 12 rides in a week, the rest are free
- Reduced fare riders
- Weekly cap is now $17.50
- Express bus riders
- Weekly cap is now $67
This includes unlimited express, subway, and local bus trips for the week.
- Weekly cap is now $67
This means no one using OMNY will ever pay more than the weekly cap for that service category again.
No More Coins on Buses
- Bus drivers will no longer accept coins
- Riders must use:
- OMNY card
- Contactless credit or debit card
- Smartphone or smartwatch payment
- Cash users can still:
- Load OMNY at retail locations
- Use vending machines in subway stations
This marks one of the biggest shifts in how New Yorkers pay to ride in decades.
Commuter Rail Highlights
If you use Metro-North or LIRR:
- Weekly and monthly passes increased about 4.5 percent
- Other ticket types increased up to 8 percent
- New Day Pass introduced
- Unlimited rides until 4:00 a.m. the next day
- Pay-as-you-go discount
- After 10 rides in 14 days, your 11th ride is free
- Family Fare
- Kids ages 5 through 17 ride for $1 with a paying adult, even during peak hours
Bridge and Tunnel Tolls
- All MTA bridges and tunnels increased by 7.5 percent
- This impacts drivers heading into Manhattan and other boroughs for work, appointments, and family visits.
What This Means for Roosevelt Island
For many of us, the F train is a lifeline. A daily commuter taking two rides per day, five days a week, will now hit the weekly fare cap faster, which helps soften the higher base fare. For neighbors who ride less frequently, the increase will be felt more directly.
The full transition to OMNY is now impossible to ignore. If you still have old MetroCards tucked into drawers and coat pockets, now is the time to move on. The coin phase-out on buses is especially important for seniors and cash-only riders to plan for ahead of time.
A Neighborly Note
Transportation touches every single corner of life on Roosevelt Island. Work, school, groceries, doctor appointments, family visits. While the fare increases are modest on paper, we all know they add up over time. The permanent weekly cap and new rail options do offer some real relief, but the transition will take patience across the city.
As always, we will keep tracking how these changes land here at home. If you run into issues with OMNY, fare capping, or bus access, send them our way. Your experiences matter to this coverage.
The Committee Man
Committees are supposed to be where outcomes are shaped. They are meant to be the place where questions slow decisions down, where competing interests surface, and where public responsibility is exercised before anything reaches a formal vote.
